Interview with Dr. Lisa Barkley
Please describe the sports medicine program as you envision it as a CDU Center of Excellence.
Dr. Barkley Well, I see sports as a way to connect to well-being for kids. I see it as addressing several issues. One issue is that there are a lot of inequities in sports medicine care and delivery. And if you’ re coming from under- resourced communities, you just don’ t have access to this work in medicine care. Number one, it would provide that. Number two, it would help to work on things that kids need to be successful. Overall, you know, using sports as a lens to that so kids need to be successful in academics so that they can have careers and that they can have jobs and move forward in the world.
I think that this is a conduit by having them connected to sports to impact that part of their lives as well. Impact on their social lives so that they can have people in their lives who can help promote building strong components that they need: competency, character, values, problem solving skills, navigation skills.
The other components of the Sports Medicine Center would support the different systems around kids. Parents, guardians, schools, coaches, academics, so that they can be successful in those areas of life as well. It becomes a holistic approach to care.
This seems like an interesting way of conducting community outreach that’ s consistent with the CDU Advantage. Do you agree?
Dr. Barkley Oh, for sure. For the big part of our African American community, especially. Connecting healthcare services, academic services to sports, makes sense meeting people where they are in areas where they enjoy.
Dr. Clarence Shields is a pioneer in this work, as you well know, through his program Team Heal. Could you describe your view of what he’ s doing, and how it connects with your work?
Dr. Barkley Well, I can’ t say enough how. He really put his money and his time where his mouth is. He doesn’ t have to be working in these under-resourced schools, but he does. And he has created a very nice network of care, which is rare. I’ ve never seen a system as comprehensive compared to what he’ s been able to put together. And he’ s been doing it for decades. I think that it’ s such a great foundation to try to build a more holistic approach that I’ m suggesting in this athletic health center. What we’ re bringing to it is a primary care approach that complements the orthopedic and the athletic training approach.
The center is a training opportunity for aspiring sports medicine specialists. How do you envision people connected with the University utilizing this program to grow professionally?
Dr. Barkley Well, I think it’ s key because the best way to train is to actually be out doing work with real people in real settings. I think by having our residents on the sidelines, providing the care, and getting to see all the other components that go with that, being role models, learning from people that they’ re meeting in that environment, it’ s the best kind of education, because it allows trainees to feel like they can go anywhere and do anything. They don’ t feel like the only way they could practice medicine is if they have a big fancy building or certain things set up. They learned that they can do this, no matter where they are. And that gives them that mindset of wanting to give back to community and it’ s kind of spread our mission.
CDU College of Medicine | PG. 10